Blog Archives

1910
The first flight in a military airplane occurred at Fort Sam Houston by Lt. Benjamin Foulois, flying Army Aeroplane #1.

1918 – World War I
Daily noon church services are being held in the Majestic Theater. (Not the current Majestic Theater.) “Only penitence, sacrifice and prayer can win the war.”

1978
After the three-alarm fire that devastated their 311 W. Commerce location, longtime men’s clothiers Penner’s reopens as a temporary store in the Frost Bank Building, just down the street thanks to a telephone call from board chairman Tom Frost. “I might as well call it a donation,” say Max Penner of the temporary location, for which he says he is paying only a “token” rent. “We can never forget him.”

World War I – 1918
President Wilson issues a proclamation putting the nation on war rations. He called for observance of two wheatless days, Monday and Wednesday, one wheatless and one meatless meal daily, meatless Tuesday and porkless Saturday. Simultaneously the food administration announced its new “victory bread” to contain 20 per cent of cereals other than wheat, after February 24. It also announced Tuesday would be a porkless day in addition to Saturday.

1875
The construction of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church is completed.

1910
A petition is being circulated in which citizens pledge not to eat meat for 30 days in order to reduce prices. One man said: “A year ago, 20 cents worth of meat would keep my whole family going all day, but now it costs 40 cents.”

1941
Two wrought iron signs bearing the inscription Arneson River Theater have been placed on the San Antonio River beautification project, J. A. Hazelrigg, manager of the WPA in the San Antonio district, reported today. Made by the WPA crafts project, one of the signs is six feet long with lettering eight inches in height. This sign has been placed over the archway entrance to the river beautification project at the La Villita entrance. The second sign, 10 to 20 inches in size, has been placed on the theater building.

1910
Word has been received form Washington that President Taft will be asked to promote Col. John L. Clem to Brigadier General. Clem, who is at Fort Sam Houston, is known as “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh.”

1918 – World War I
Two British officers, Maj. C. K. Rhinehardt and Capt. J. Phipps, who are stationed at Camp Taliaferro near Ft. Worth, were making a flight from Ft. Worth to San Antonio yesterday. They had flown at a high altitude without mishap until a point east of Johnson City, when some of the struts under one of the wings broke. The plane began to careen and the captain took the controls while the major substituted his body for the missing supports in such a way that the machine could descend. It landed without injury to either officer.

1985
Ground is broken on the new 239,000 square-foot campus of Texas Military Institute located near Camp Bullis. Scheduled to open in the fall of 1986, the 60-acre site will include a chapel, media center, computer center, classroom centers, athletic fields, a student center, a fieldhouse/gymnasium/natatorium, residence units for 150 boarders, a fine arts center with a 500-seat theater and administrative staff homes.

World War I – February 3, 1917
On this day in 1917, President Woodrow Wilson speaks for two hours before a historic session of Congress to announce that the United States is breaking diplomatic relations with Germany. Due to the reintroduction of the German navy’s policy of unlimited submarine warfare, announced two days earlier by Chancellor Theobald von Bethmann Hollwegg, Wilson announced that his government had no choice but to cut all diplomatic ties with Germany in order to uphold the honor and dignity of the United States. Though he maintained that We do not desire any hostile conflict with the German government, Wilson nevertheless cautioned that war would follow if Germany followed through on its threat to sink American ships without warning.

1910The Wright aeroplane which was received in this city by the Wells-Fargo Express company yesterday was transferred to the government railroad spur that terminates on Grayson street at the Post, under the personal supervision of Mr. Heyck, the agent for the express company, this morning.(Lt. Benjamin Foulois would make the first military flight in this airplane on March 2, 1910.)

1959
San Antonio teenagers and rock ‘n’ roll fans mourned the loss of Texas’s own Buddy Holly and J.P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson, along with Ritchie Valens, in an Iowa plane crash.

1910
The San Antonio Light reports that a giant horse named Dr. LeGear is attracting much attention at the fair. Dr. LeGear is a dapple seal brown Percheron gelding, 21 hands tall, takes a 32 inch collar, is 16 feet from tip to tip, and is eight years old.

1930
The $1,500,00 Nix Professional Building opens with great fanfare. The Gothic 23-story building, “the first of its kind in the world,” features a basement with a cafeteria, tailor shop and barbershop; eight floors of car storage space, ten floors of office space and a 200-bed hospital on the top six floors.

1861
The Ordinance of Secession (right), passed at the convention in Austin on February 1, goes into effect and Texas becomes a member of the Confederacy. (original document held at the Texas State Library and Archives)

1910
The first flight in a military airplane occurred at Fort Sam Houston by Lt. Benjamin Foulois, flying Army Aeroplane #1.

1904
City Council approved Alderman Fentiman’s ordinance restricting speed of automobiles and bicycles in San Antonio’s city limits to 6 miles per hour.

1910
Word has been received form Washington that President Taft will be asked to promote Col. John L. Clem to Brigadier General. Clem, who is at Fort Sam Houston, is known as “The Drummer Boy of Shiloh.”

1946
After an hour’s debate the county commissioners voted to accept a deed to Exposition Park from the city as a site for the $1,750,000 coliseum.

Thursday, May 24, 2018, 1 – 1:45pm Low impact workouts are a great way to get active while reducing the risk of injury! Low Impact Circuit Training classes are easier on the body removing certain exercises that place more stress on the hip & knee joints; running/sprinting and jumping. The goal of each class is to provide a total body workout. Branch Loca […]

Thursday, May 24, 2018, 3:30 – 5pm [For ages 13 to 18 only] Come hang out to cure your boredom and make new friends (or see your old ones). Weekly activities vary, and it's up to you to help decide what we do.Join us as we play your pick from a variety of different video games! Branch Location: Tobin Library Address: 4134 Harry Wurzbach, San Antonio, TX […]

Thursday, May 24, 2018, 4 – 5pm Need help downloading eBooks to your tablet or phone? Sign up for a 30 minute one on-one-session and library staff will assist you in learning how to use your mobile device, tablet, or new laptop in conjunction with downloading digital content from SAPL such as eBooks, eAudiobooks, and movies. Bring your device and account inf […]